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Battle With Satan’s Spirits
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praised their Deliverer, while the scribes, defeated and crestfallen,
turned sullenly away.
Faith Connects Us With Heaven
“If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help
us.” How many a sin-burdened soul has echoed that prayer. And
to all the answer is, “All things are possible to him that believeth.”
In Christ, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait
and resisting every temptation, however strong. But many feel that
they lack faith, and therefore they remain away from Christ. Let
these souls look not to self, but to Christ. Faith comes by the Word
of God. Grasp His promise, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no
wise cast out.”
John 6:37
. Cast yourself at His feet with the cry, “I
believe; help Thou mine unbelief.” You can never perish while you
do this—never.
In a brief space of time the favored disciples had seen humanity
as transfigured into the image of God, and as debased into the like-
ness of Satan. They had seen Jesus proclaimed the Son of God, and
had seen Him meet the maniac boy gnashing his teeth in agony. This
mighty Redeemer, who a few hours before stood glorified, stooped
to lift the victim of Satan from the earth, and restore him to his father
and home.
It was an object lesson of redemption—the Divine One stooping
to save the lost. It represented also the disciples’ mission. Not alone
on the mountaintop with Jesus is the life of Christ’s servants to be
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spent. Down in the plain, souls whom Satan has enslaved are waiting
for the word of faith and prayer to set them free.
When Jesus was once more alone with the nine disciples, they
questioned, “Why could not we cast him out?” Jesus answered,
“Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have
faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing
shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out
but by prayer and fasting.” Their unbelief, that shut them out from
deeper sympathy with Christ, and the carelessness with which they
regarded the sacred work committed to them had caused their failure.
Jealous of the three disciples selected to accompany Jesus to the